Business resilience in Corby and Derby

Climate East Midlands held two further business resilience workshops towards the end of January 2014. On 28th January we were at Electric Corby, based in the Corby Enterprise Centre, and on 30th January we were at Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce in Derby. Around 12 delegates attended the Corby workshop, and 14 attended the Derby workshop. As always, a wide range of sectors were represented, including food and drink, retail, manufacturing, cosmetics, construction, energy generation and education.

Both workshops included presentations from Climate East Midlands, the Environment Agency, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, and Local Authority Emergency Planners.

Useful nuggets that emerged during the discussion included:

• Characteristics of a good Business Continuity Plan: it's short, it's been tested, and it's in people's minds. It is available on paper and electronically, but it's important that staff are familiar with it before an emergency occurs.
• Businesses can monitor their local river levels via the Environment Agency website. This data can inform decisions on when to activate emergency plans.
• Business Continuity Plans can be tested through a desk top exercise with key staff. To introduce an element of uncertainty, the nature of the incident can be picked out of a hat e.g. the type of severe weather, the day of the week, and the time of day that the incident has supposedly occurred.

The Business Resilience Health Check tool was recommended to the workshop participants. It is a free online questionnaire, which on completion generates a bespoke action plan. www.businessresiliencehealthcheck.co.uk  The tool has received positive feedback, with one participant at the Derby workshop saying that before attending the workshop and using the tool, they didn't know what they didn't know, but afterwards they have a much better idea, and now know what they don't know! The report generated by the tool provides pointers for where to go for more information and support.

Workshop participants also received a copy of Climate East Midlands' guide Weathering the Storm: saving and making money in a changing climate.

All participants rated the workshops as good or excellent.

The Corby workshop was part of a business resilience project supported by Northamptonshire County Council. The Derby workshop was part of a business resilience project delivered in partnership with the Environment Agency. More information about these projects is available here.